{"id":94432,"date":"2026-02-17T11:54:03","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T11:54:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=94432"},"modified":"2026-02-18T11:04:49","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T11:04:49","slug":"closer-than-your-shadow-a-new-chapter-begins-for-reigns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2026\/02\/closer-than-your-shadow-a-new-chapter-begins-for-reigns\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Closer Than Your Shadow’: A New Chapter Begins For REIGNS\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On 27th February, UK Soul breakout star REIGNS is set to make a cinematic return with \u2018Closer Than Your Shadow’. What began years ago as a forgotten soul ballad has been reshaped and re-sung with a voice that now carries lived experience. Reimagined alongside Waives – the force behind the viral collaboration ‘Collateral Damage’ – the track blends emotional intimacy with a surging drum & bass undercurrent.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Ahead of its release, REIGNS speaks to Essentially Pop about the recording process, healing from heartbreak, and how returning to the song unlocked a deeper truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Closer Than Your Shadow\u2019\u00a0began as a soul ballad that stayed with you for years. What made this the right moment – and the right collaborator – to finally bring it to life?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Closer Than Your Shadow was initially played to me by writer\/producer Dee Adam and it was a soul ballad originally, and we made a version for me where I could put my slant on it and over time…We kind of forgot about the track as we were so busy writing new material! Dee was updating her studio and going through the hard drive and found the old version of the song and when I heard it again.. I really understood what it meant now and asked if I could re sing it. We recorded the vocals in Dee\u2019s studio The Karma Kabin and I suggested it might be cool to see what Waives thought of the vocal and where it could go. They really understood the emotion of the track and once we heard this new version it was a no brainer that we needed to put it out!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The song explores unconditional presence and emotional safety. How personally connected do you feel to that message, and what does it mean to you today?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To me today, it means the world because when I initially sang it. I hadn\u2019t had my heart broken, hadn\u2019t lost anyone, and I hadn\u2019t really fallen into those dark places that can come once you\u2019re an adult and in the big wide world. So, I think when I re-sang it, it came from the depths of my soul, and I felt empowered to sing it,knowing it could actually be something that could help someone else who might\u2019ve fallen into those darker times in their life.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is your second collaboration with Waives after the huge success of\u00a0\u2018Collateral Damage\u2019. How has your creative chemistry evolved since that first track?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waives actually doesn\u2019t like to be in the limelight, so I feel quite honoured that they collaborated with me on this because Waives tends to do most of their music anonymously for other creatives. I feel like we\u2019ve always known each other, and without getting too deep about it, it just works.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your vocal performance on this single feels both powerful and vulnerable. How do you approach delivering that emotional duality in a drum & bass setting?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t actually recorded in a drum and bass setting! We recorded it acoustically, and it sounded very powerful with just piano and vocal! To be honest, the lyrics brought that passion and power out in my vocals because I feel so passionate about the message behind it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The track speaks to the pressure of living in a world where mistakes can feel permanent and public. How do you navigate that as an artist with such a visible online presence?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I just try to be as transparent as I possibly can, and when I\u2019m talking to my followers and singing to them on my socials – I always tell them what\u2019s going on.. I\u2019m a bit of a chatterbox – sometimes to my detriment lol! But actually talking things through with them and them telling me about things that are happening with them at the time feels like therapy, and I feel so connected to them, and it seems like they\u2019re connected to me too.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your daily TikTok performances have built a fiercely loyal fanbase who overwhelmingly request your original music. How has that shaped your confidence and direction as an artist?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I feel so blessed!!! That\u2019s all I\u2019ve ever wanted and wished for, and them knowing all the words to songs I haven\u2019t even released yet and singing them back to me at my shows is mind-blowing. My TikTok followers never cease to amaze me!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve had an incredible run of live shows – from sold\u2011out headline gigs to major festival stages. Which recent moment felt like a real turning point for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My last headline show at Paper Dress Vintage was incredible. I got to perform new songs from the album that my followers hadn\u2019t heard before. I got quite emotional in a ballad that I wrote about losing my cousin, who recently passed and we all cried together. Meeting everybody after the show just made it the perfect way to end 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve collaborated with some huge names across the electronic world. What have those experiences taught you about your own sound and identity?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m really grateful for those experiences and those releases that I\u2019ve had. I absolutely love dance music but my real passion is soulful pop and my artist project!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With your debut album\u00a0\u2018Love Languages\u2019\u00a0set for 2026, how does\u00a0\u2018Closer Than Your Shadow\u2019\u00a0fit into the world you\u2019re building for this next chapter?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s really weird because it\u2019s got a drum and bass underbelly, but when you hear it in my set played live with my band, it just roars! With many of the dance collaborations that I\u2019ve done in the past, sometimes the vocal has felt like an afterthought but with Closer Than Your Shadow, the vocal is the centre of the song and the sentiment flows through the tracks of my album like It was always meant to be there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pre-save ‘Closer Than Your Shadow’ here<\/a>. Find out more about REIGNS and their music online here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On 27th February, UK Soul breakout star REIGNS is set to make a cinematic return with \u2018Closer Than Your Shadow’. What began years ago as a forgotten soul ballad has been reshaped and re-sung with a voice that now carries lived experience. Reimagined alongside Waives – the force behind the viral collaboration ‘Collateral Damage’ – the track blends emotional intimacy with a surging drum & bass undercurrent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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